Sengled Pulse UI

Overview

Sengled is a Shanghai based company and one of the largest light bulb manufacturers in the world. Their sales have historically been business to business, but they began their movement into the consumer market with the Pulse.

The Sengled Pulse is a light and a speaker in one bulb. To control the brightness and volume of the speaker they developed a mobile app.

Division of light and sound

The Pulse combined light and speaker into one bulb but the tasks within the app. are seperated as much as possible. The seperation is both a hierarchical and visual division.

Hierarchically the adjustment control, power button, and settings button for the pulse light were all available when 'Light' was selected and vice versa for the speaker controls. This focuses the task to adjusting lights without forcing the user to filter through speaker options.

Visually the adjustment controls for the light and speaker used different colors and different elements. Light used a yellow color in a continuous circle. Volume used a blue color with a traditional stacked box element.

Correcting for shortcomings

The communication between bulb and app through bluetooth was not fast enough to provide an optimal user experience. The adjustments in light lagged and had clear jumps in the real world. The volume lagged as well adjusting after changes in the app. are made.

To mitigate the lag in communication, step controls were made prominent within the visualizers. Other controls are available to the user, but the step controls are the only explicit controls because they provide the best experience.

Mute / Off button

The speaker 'mute' and light 'off' buttons were added to the feature list of the app. Their inclusion is for two reasons. First, a survey confirmed that a mute button is an expected feature by users. Secondly, the alternative to a mute button required turning the volume to zero and then returning to the original volume. This workflow relies on the user, and creates a poor user experience.

EQ visualization

The equilization (EQ) presets provided in the app were to be named only. EQ visualizations were an added feature to increase visibility into the preset function. Labels alone did not offer enough information for the user to make an informed decision.

By adding the EQ visualization users are empowered to choose presets that suit their preference and not rely on musical genres.

Icons

These are a few of the custom icons created for the Sengled Pulse App.

The light and speaker icons are used for adjustments and mute / off buttons. The instruments are used for the speaker EQ presets.

My design philosophy

'I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.' - Maya Angelou

Objective

To find a design culture that I love to work in and expands my view of design

Experience

Effective UI

May 2013 - July 2016

UX Designer

My role involves working closely with client stakeholders and internal team leads to provide world class human-centered design solutions. I coordinate with my team in each step of the design process which includes: Preparation, Research, Strategy, Design, Testing and Delivery.

Preparation

I am involved in the preparatory stages of the design process for prospective clients. I assist in scoping and pricing engagements, as it relates to the design effort. I design project proposals that outline our understanding of the design challenge and the steps that we suggest to come to an effective solution. I contribute to project planning to be sure the design process will result in an efficient use of design hours and on time delivery.

Research

I work with the team in understanding client challenges and researching possible design solutions. This is learned through user interviews, research into current solutions and finding forward thinking solutions that will assimilate into emerging technologies.

Design

The design work that I am involved in is a strong collaborative effort with our client's stakeholders to arrive at the best possible solution for the design effort as possible.

Working within a team, I assist in the creation of design workflows, interaction layouts and realization of final visual design. This includes creating design interaction archetypes to best match the intended interaction models; creating design wireframes and layouts using proven design principles and best practices; creation of user interface designs using visual hierarchy and user affordances; creation of design documentations with clear annotations and directions.

I also produce UI visualizations and motion graphics to help visualize interactions and transitions within a design, market a design solution, or provide guided walkthroughs.

Testing

I create click-through prototypes using various testing tools. I assist in running user testing and recording feedback information.

Delivery

I create finalized design decks with annotations and directions. I produce visual assets as well as style guides containing all visual information needed for internal or external development teams.

Experience

At EffectiveUI I had the opportunity to design within various fields, including:

Freelance Design

July 2005 - November 2012

I have had the opportunity to work for a handful of clients over the years. I have rebranded a start-up company and built their website. I have also consulted with a law firm regarding their rebranding effort.